Some Thoughts I Have Pondered About WWIII

I think, but hope I am wrong, that the longer it takes for Russia to defeat the Ukraine the more likely it is that this war will erupt into WWIII. I think that because I believe:

1. Putin is psychotic

2. As each day of this war goes by, Putin becomes more and more frustrated in his thinking because it seems less and less likely that his plans to conquer the Balkan states will succeed.

3. As Putin becomes more and more frustrated he puts into action more outrageous plans about conquering old parts of the USSR, and voices more threats to NATO and any countries that might align with NATO or actually join NATO.

4. He has become so frustrated as to threaten those who aid Ukraine with nuclear retaliation.

5. Putin Is Psychotic.

6. Sooner or later, if the war continues long enough and the atrocities and war crimes continue, while Russians at home continue to protest, Putin will totally lose any sense of rational thought.

7. Putin will resort to attacking another nation such as Moldova.

8. Putin is psychotic.

9. Putin will, if the Ukraine continues to successfully resist a takeover, eventually use nuclear weapons there.

10. World War III will erupt and it will essentially be the end of most all of us if other nations fire off their nukes aimed at Russia because then Iran, Pakistan, & China, among others, will join the fray against the rest of the world.

11. Of course Sleepy, demented, dementia suffering, idiot, bumbling fool, slow to act, totally inept demoncrat Joe Biden will either order a full scale nuclear response or will surrender. Surrendering will not help us because, and maybe I mentioned this already, Putin is a frustrated psychotic who is frustrated by Russia's inability to defeat the Ukraine quickly.

12. Putin is much akin to Adolf Hitler who was also psychotic (okay just plain crazy if you'd rather say it that way) but Putin is much more dangerous because he has something Hitler did not - nuclear weapons and a lot of them.

13. Should the Ukraine eventually be defeated by Russia, Putin will continue to invade other countries and sooner or later the west will actually defend one of them and WWIII will be upon us.

I most definitely hope I am wrong about things leading to WWIII should the Ukraine not fall soon enough to suit Putin. (Do not get me wrong, I  am not hoping for a Russian win - I hope they kick Russia's arse but that is doubtful without real help from other nations and when I say 'real help' I do not mean sanctions. Things look dismal to me for a bright and sunny future although, for a short while as the nukes go off, it may be suddenly brighter than any of us ever have seen before.

All the best, 

Glenn B

 

The German Army Is "Standing Bare"...

..and: 

"it would be limited in its capabilities should it be asked to assist in a NATO mission". 

 So it has been reported that the top military commander of German forces (Army Lt. Gen. Alfons Mais) has said. More at the source.

 

Now I don't now what you think but I think that Germany has made is crystal clear to Russia that it has surrendered to them in advance should Russia decide to invade any of the NATO allies. I also think that Lt. General Mais should be horse whipped at the very least and maybe even tried for treason and hung appropriately punished if convicted. Of course, I could be wrong about the treason thing - maybe that is what the German government instructed him to do and he was being a loyal little Nazi German. If so, all I can say to Germany and to the general is 'fick dich'!

 

There I was thinking Biden was an idiot for telegraphing things to Putin but here apparently is the head of a nation's military capitulating to the enemy before there is even one soldier of an invading force on German soil. I guess the wall may be going up again soon, this time much further to the west so as to cut off all of Germany from the rest of western Europe altogether, that is once Russia conquers them.

Remember when President Trump told the Germans (and other countries) to pay their fair share of NATO dues. The left was in an uproar. Appears that whatever they did contribute and what ever money they got from NATO finances overall must have found its way to other projects or into some folks' pockets because it evidently did not go into military preparedness.

 

It is a pretty sad state of affairs when the French outshine any other nation - especially the economic leader of Europe (Germany) - but the French have done so. They reminded Putin, today, that Russia is not the only nuclear power in the game and that NATO has them too (source). This apparently was not in the hopes of aiding The Ukraine but rather seems to be an attempt to try to deter any hopes of Putin's to invade NATO nations. Chalk one up for the French over Germany.

All the best,

Glenn B

It's all over the net, figured I share it too.

 My guess is if not the entire world, then it's certainly most of the free world that wishes he was in the White House now or that there was somehow could be called upon to save the day. 

 

Let me tell you - the theme from the 1960's Batman was running through my head and I had to share it too!

All the best,

Glenn B

Will Some Countires' Leaders Eventually...

 ...realize that Vladamir Putin does not give a damn about any sanctions that the world places on Russia and that he is merely another power hungry tyrant on the world stage. One might think that Russia's ongoing invasion of The Ukraine is evidence enough of that but my guess is it will not be sufficient impetus for many if not most world leaders to do anything significant about the invasion of The Ukraine. It seems most politicians around the world are probably willing to let a huge amount of lives be lost there before taking decisive action to stage a counterattack. It sure seems like Joe Biden will never see it as enough incentive to go up against Russia in a hot war. That could be good (we do not need to be involved in yet another war) or it could be bad (especially if Putin & Russia do not stop with the Ukraine and head west). Think along the lines of: 'Today Russia - tomorrow the world'.

Putin had put the world on notice by obviously planning some sort of military move for a good long time now and of course, China has been doing likewise for even longer. As I recall, several months ago he said something to the effect that he had a nuclear shield and effectively could destroy any nukes headed toward Russia (source not remembered - just memory if it serves me right). Then there were the Russian & Chinese tests of highly maneuverable hypersonic (5 times the speed of sound) missiles that could deliver nuclear payloads in super fast time; those tests were supposedly successful for both nations (source reference Russian test) (source reference China's test). Tests by the United States of similar missiles were at first a failure (source) and then about 2 months later were successful or so we have been told (source) Then the military buildup of troops along The Ukraine's borders. His boasting about Russia's military prowess has never ceased but it is not just boasting - he has been modernizing the Russian military and building it up since at least 2008 (source). We have known about it all along and what have we done to counter or at least match it - not much I think but who am I to think under this administration. 

You will note, Russia did not invade the Ukraine late in the summer nor in the fall nor in the middle of winter. It held off until winter's final month - until the weather would be getting better at least soon. A thing, had Hitler done, may have won him the Soviet Union in WWII. What other things on the world stage can we look at that Putin may have used to his advantage in his plotting war. He waited for China, Russia's likely ally in any major conflict, to announce its successful testing of hypersonic missiles. He acted only subsequent to the U.S. losing its energy independence (source). The U.S. was energy independent for the first time in decades under President Trump. Our current president, bumbling Biden almost immediately put a halt to that once in office. So we once again became dependent upon other oil producing nations for oil - nations like Russia. 

 

Putin also waited for what he almost certainly saw as a big minus for our national defense which was for President Biden to dip into the strategic oil reserves of our country (source). My guess would be, mind you only a guess, is that those reserves have not yet been replenished. Putin also acted in the Ukraine relatively shortly after the debacle in Afghanistan. Mind you, he did not care one iota about our troops being killed at the airport in Kabul, nor about how many American citizens were stranded, but rather paid close attention to the folly of our withdrawal strategy or lack of it. He certainly must have also noted that the U.S. forces left behind a lot of military hardware and probably software too. You can bet the Russians recovered enough of it to delve into any weaknesses found in that equipment or software - such as our helicopters that were abandoned during the withdrawal. In addition. 

Putin also waited until our country's economy has been brought to its knees by the highest inflation rate in 40 years which was created by the Biden Administration with its to spend trillions of dollars we do not have (well, we may have the 'money' as they keep printing more currency but of course that only makes inflation worse). One other thing to which Putin paid close attention and waited on has been the apparent ineptness of our current president (source). It seems evident that Putin would not have invaded The Ukraine if Trump was in the White House. I think President Trump was too bold for Putin to have chanced an attack on any nation getting a rapid and military response from our nation under Trump.   He readily invaded the Ukraine when it became evident that the U.S. would not defend The Ukraine with its military. Biden has repeatedly stated he will not involve U.S. troops in a war with Russia - he has already given up in that regard and made it clear to Russia that they essentially have free reign in Eastern Europe (source). 

 

Sure, there are sanctions - look at how much or not that they have deterred Putin -  really they have not at all. But Biden was sure to telegraph (as he did with our cybersecurity) to Russia that just about all we would do is to impose sanctions and he did it both before (source) and after (source) the invasion commenced (source).  Now mind you, that last linked source states that Biden is sending more troops to Europe but those troops are being sent to protect NATO allies and not to engage Russia over its invasion of the Ukraine (that is another thing Biden telegraphed to Putin). Biden appears to be little more than an angry bumbling & uncontrollably farting fool who can not help but tell the Russians our plans. So, you can be sure Putin noticed that and uses it to his advantage. 

 

Biden also has  single-handedly destroyed any good done for the United States by President Trump. He has destroyed energy independence, lost jobs, screwed our economy, lost the confidence of the people but most of has reduced our standing in the eyes of our enemies. Putin also waited for China to help cripple the world economy by slowing down and almost completely destroying other nations' ability to manufacture goods, goods that are made in, or that require parts made in, China. Take for example the automobile industry. Make no mistake about it - Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan and others are our enemies and each of those countries has active nuclear weapons programs that have constantly been improving. As far back as 2019, Russia's nuclear arsenal has been far superior to that of the U.S. (source).

 

Also bear in mind, should WWIII actually break out, Russia has allies within western nations in the form of Muslim extremists who will undoubtedly,at least in my estimation, side with Russia. Countries like the U.S., Sweden, Germany, France, England and many other have large populations of Muslims - many of them extremists. These countries are sure to suffer dire consequences from them should war against Russia erupt.

Now, Putin is threatening destruction like the world had not seen should the allies of the Ukraine take any action to help that nation (source). China has not condemned Russia, at least not in any meaningful way and is allowing for imports of Russian wheat (source) (an army does not march long on an empty stomach and the Chinese military is no exception) and my bet is if it comes to a world war, China will undoubtedly ally with Russia. Both of these nations have successfully tested hypersonic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads (source reference Russian test) (source reference China's test). The early U.S. tests of the same type of missile was a failure; then the U.S. had a successful test of that missile a couple of months later (one can hope that success is the truth and not just face saving braggadocio in the aftermath of the successful launches by the Russians & Chinese). The thing with these missiles is that a first strike may take place so quickly that the other side does not have enough warning to take defensive or retaliatory actions. In other words - he who fires their missiles first maybe wins. Then again, even if the one fired at first gets off its missiles - what would the outcome be but thermonuclear destruction of much if not all of the planet. For Putin to be making such threats indicates he may be a lot like Hitler - in other words he may well be out of his mind.

 

So will the leaders of the free world wake up? Will they realize the sanctions and all the drum beating hoopla are not going to do a thing to help the Ukraine or to curb any further military takeover of other free world nations by Russia if that is Putin's design? Well, I would hope they get it but if the rest of them are anything like Joe Biden, the free world may as well surrender now. 

All the best,

Glenn B

 

(I'll proof this later, my eyes are killing me after writing this one, just realized I had on the distance glasses not the readers.)

What Are The Worst Or Most Disappointing Guns You Have Ever Owned?

For me, I suppose it was a Charter Arms Explorer II pistol that I bought way back when I was a Border Patrol Agent in Calexico, CA. I got it at the Yellowmart in El Centro, CA (that was my go to store for guns & ammo, camping gear, hiking stuff and fishing tackle. The pistol was both the worst and the most disappointing for me of any guns I have ever owned. I thought I was buying a pistol that would be lots of fun, it sure looked cool. Instead it had lots of jams no matter what brand or type of 22 LR ammo I used in it and I tried plenty. Some other folks had better luck with theirs but that model pistol became know in the firearms community as a Jam-o-matic; so, I guess plenty of others besides me had their share of problems with it. Mine certainly lived up to its oft used nickname.

My next was another 22, the Smith & Wesson 22A-1. Let me just say, I considered it a total cheaply made piece of junk. That was due to lots of jams (again with many different brands & types of 22 LR) and seeming lack of quality parts and those parts were obviously lacking before I ever shot it. The white nylon buffer, of which they gave three (3) in the box, was a surefire indicator that those parts were not built to last so when the buffers for it run out of stock - and you need another due to yours wearing out - the gun will become useless. Then there was the mag release that almost required the strength of Hercules to release the magazine; that wound up being a problem only with one of the two mags that came with the pistol. So, it probably was not a mag release problem but likely a faulty magazine. I actually had to hit a brass punch with a hammer to get the mag release to go in and then pry the one mag out of the mag well. The next problematic thing was the take-down release. Even the manual said it may be difficult to depress - so S&W manufactured this pistol knowing that would be a pain in the users neck. Next was a bent recoil spring when I took it apart for its initial cleaning before firing it. Now back to that nylon buffer, it was part of the recoil spring & rod assembly. The one in the gun had evident stress fractures in it when I first examined it out of the box. Finally when I looked over the recoil spring again, I counted 15 coils. In the manual a picture of the recoil spring showed one with 13 coils. I guess that something was stressed too much, thus those stress fractures and thus the bent recoil spring, I imagine the extra coils could have caused the stress. My initial impressions of this pistol are here.

Even my RG26 pistol(s), I think, were better made than the two above even though each of the RGs were each just another Jam-o-matic but I will not classify them as the worst or most disappointing - and they were pretty terrible. If you are wondering why I bought two, it was because the RG26 was my first pistol. I eventually took it apart, destroyed the parts, and disposed of the parts. Many years later I bought one at an auction due to nostalgia and nothing more; that wore off soon enough and I sold the second one here in TX.

The third and final of the guns that were the worst and disappointed me the most was a stainless steel Ruger Mini-14 with synthetic stock. I bought it new. When I cleaned it before shooting it, I noticed lots of machining marks on surfaces in the receiver and a bunch of sloppy welds. When I shot it, I could not hit paper at 25 or 50 yards with most shots, no matter what type or weight of 223 ammo I tried with it. On one target, I think I hit it five times probably out of around 100 shots. I had a few jams with it too as it was not extracting or ejecting properly. Then I needed something to whack the bolt handle to open it - that happened a couple or few times. That gun was an utterly dreadful disappointment to me and its performance was extremely lacking to say the least. It's not like I was unfamiliar with Mini 14s and somehow was causing these issues myself. I had been shooting a bunch of them at work and thought they were good to go so I bought it. I have shot plenty of Mini 14s both before and since buying that one and never had similar problems with any of those others. I even took it apart and cleaned it again, probably as good as I had ever cleaned any gun, and while it worked a bit better, most of the issue prevailed and it still shot like shaite. Ruger told me to send it in but I decided I just did not want it even if they worked on it and got it right. So, I sold it instead (and was very forthright about the problems). The buyer got it and loved it. This is the feedback he left me, he also contacted me later to tell me it shot just fine:

"Highly recommend this seller, Well packaged, shipped promptly, great communication, rifle accurately described, photos accurately showed the condition of the rifle. Very Pleased Geat Job!!!! A+A+A+A+"

  Go figure.

All the best, 

Glenn B

You Have The Right To Be Represented By Counsel But...

 ...does an attorney have the right to refuse to represent you? If yes, then I can only think that the lawyer representing Colby Martin, reportedly of White Pigeon, Michigan, is quite possibly among the scum of the earth. Martin was arrested and reportedly was initially accused of manslaughter among other crimes after allegedly running down a woman who had been out for a walk.

 

Those charges reportedly have been changed with the top one now being a murder charge after Martin allegedly: ran down a woman with a vehicle, killed her, then had sex with her corpse. The reasons, at least some of them, for the upgraded charges reportedly are DNA and another reportedly is that the investigation of this case revealed Martin, before he allegedly killed the victim, had used the Internet to look up porn related to having sex with unconscious and dead women. More at the source.

 

If true, I am aghast and left wondering - will the wonders depravity of humankind never cease? Me thinks there are monsters among us.

All the best,

Glenn B

Today In History - One Of My Chiildhood Heroes Made History 60 Years Ago

On February 20, 1962, when I was six going on seven, one of my childhood idols climbed into a small more or less sardine can sized spaceship known as Friendship 7, a Mercury capsule, sat in it for about 4 hours and finally blasted off to become the first American to orbit the earth. He was John H. Glenn. More at the source.

 

 

 It was a thrill back then to think not only could man fly that high for that long but that he was an American and that we as a nation had caught up to and surpassed the Soviet Union. Although the U.S.A. had already sent two other men into space, Alan Shepard being the first in the so called Space Race, the USSR already had put a man,Yuri Gagarin, into orbit around the earth. Gagarin was the first human in space and also was the first to orbit the earth, doing so once on April 12, 1961. (Source.) Thus the Soviets beat out us by almost a year. 

 

When Glenn orbited the globe, he went round three times, not just once as had Gagarin, and thus he greatly boosted the confidence & morale of Americans in that our men and our technology seemingly were superior to those of the USSR. They were scary times back during the Cold War and any advantage over the Soviet Union was a relief. That was because of the everyday threat to the USA posed during the Cold War by the Soviet and their nukes. Every parent & kid was well aware of that threat due to frequent required air raid drills during which we had to duck & cover both at home & in school. Both the relief due to the perceived advantage and the air raid drills though would have wound up being pointless had the Cold War ever gone hot and had even half of the atomic weapons ever been launched. Glenn's successful mission created a perception of superiority by the USA and was a big lift to the spirit of our citizens and others within the free world. Test launches aside - thank goodness that the biggest relief so far has been that the only major launches, by both sides, during the Cold War and later have been into space. I fear though that the Cold War is on all over again and I pray it will never go hot. Maybe we, as a species, can again find something out there in space to keep our minds on instead of chancing the Apocalypse here on earth.

 

Glenn, one of only 7 astronauts known as the Mercury 7, had an outstanding career in the U. S. Navy & Marine Corps, as an astronaut, as a businessman, as a test pilot and a career as a politician but I think he will always be remembered best as a courageous American astronaut who soared into space and then became the first to orbit the earth.

All the best,

Glenn B

This Is What Made Boys Like Girls...

 ...well, if not just girls, then nice girls for sure. Just a piece of nostalgia I remember from my childhood. Not like I just thought of it, I was watching another video on YouTube and this was listed in the sidebar:

 

 

Hope you enjoyed that, what a voice. Peggy March was only 15 at the time she recorded that. Don't know if she ever had another hit, just do not recall but I sure remember this one.

All the best,

Glenn B

They Say Hope Springs Eternal...

 ...but in my case, while I never gave up hope, it has been 'hope revitalized'. Just last week, in fact only a few days ago, I wondered to myself what ever happened to the grand jury investigation spearheaded by special prosecutor John Durham in which Durham is trying to discover if their in essence was a conspiracy against Donald Trump that was orchestrated by democrats including Hillary Clinton. What brought his investigation to my mind was the fact that Fox News was reporting that Hillary Clinton was about to make a major speech and some said it might be that she would be announcing her candidacy for the next presidential election. I had mostly forgotten the Durham investigation and when I thought of it last week, I wondered what had happened to it and believed maybe it had just quietly disappeared as such things often do when influenced by the world of politics and bribes (not alleging any wrong doing in this case).

 

Well, there I as left wondering, that is until today. It appears the Durham grand jury investigation is being run by him as the law demands it must be run - in secrecy. That is a good thing. It also appears as if the investigation may have uncovered a good amount of additional evidence and additional suspects and defendants as well. More at the source. 

 

I, for one, am again hopeful that this investigation will be carried out to its legitimate end and that said end result will be that anyone - who winds up being found guilty of conspiracy against Donald Trump, or who otherwise violated the laws of the United States relative to his candidacy, his election and then presidency - who was in Hillary Clinton's campaign (or who supported it) and who acted illegally (if proven so) in that regard will be convicted of any and all crimes of which they may be charged due to this investigation. It would truly bring a smile to my face to see her and many others from her campaign in prison for a long long time if in fact they are guilty of any such crimes. If not then let the evidence prove otherwise but my guess is they are as guilty as sin.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

My Biden - Putin Conspiracy Theory

 Imagine, if you will, a nation of super strength about to invade its neighboring country - one of strength as well but much weaker than the other. Then another super strong nation, led by a seemingly weak minded scheming fool, steps in and acts tough with the bullying country's leader and threatens great reprisals should the stronger nation attack the weaker one. After months of threats back and forth, the leader of the nation poised to attack its neighbor suddenly withdraws the threat and somehow we are expected to see Joe Biden as a hero who through shrewd diplomacy overcame the threat of attack on our weaker ally. Seems like much more of a likely conspiracy than did the one of which the dems accused President Trump.

 

The thing is, we won't know if there actually is such a conspiracy unless Putin removes the threat of an invasion of The Ukraine and somehow it becomes understood it was Biden who convinced him to do so. If it does happen that way, that the threat is removed, Biden is sure to claim credit being the hero of that situation and would not the timing be grand so close to midterm elections. Of course, there is another way for Putin to remove the threat and that is to actually invade The Ukraine in which case the threat will have been overcome and thus will have disappeared due to an actual invasion no longer being a threat but a reality. 

 

Of course, then Biden will say I told you they were going to attack and now I have to punish them. He again would try to play the hero; yet, consider that, he maybe will have conspired with Putin nonetheless. How/why? In as much as to allow Russia to attack The Ukraine, to take what it wants to a point, then withdraw at least partially and then make it appear as if his (Biden's) influence made Putin be more moderate as to what he does in The Ukraine.

 

No matter how things turn out, Biden will try to make himself look good. This would be good not only for Russia but for China too because there is no doubt Biden is indebted big time to both of those nations. So, is it possible (note I did not say probable) that Biden is conspiring with Russia & China. I think it almost likely.

 

Enough of my fantasizing but would it not be a hoot if it actually was true and then proven at a later date and Biden gets convicted of high treason. A man has to dream!

All the best,

Glenn B

More New 22s For My Collection

Darn, I just sold a bunch of guns to resupply my dwindling bank account and there I went this past Saturday bidding on more of them in a Hessney.com auction. The addiction that drives a collector is insatiable. At least with the recent sales, I had some cash to buy these:

 

Marlin Papoose in 22 LR, the Ducks Unlimited version, listed "As New". Figured this would make a good trunk gun if it shoots better than my Henry USA Survival rifle.

 

.

Ruger Mark II Target Pistol with 6 7/8" barrel. Why I bought another Ruger Mark II is beyond my wildest imagination and all I can say in my defense is I like them - damn their disassembly and assembly issues. This one was not listed "as new" but it looks to be as good as new.

 

One thing is for sure, old arthritic guys like me can never have enough 22s! Now I just am waiting on them to be shipped, then a quick cleaning and sooner or later a trip to the range with them.

All the best,

Glenn B

Almost Caught Myself...

 ...in the nick of time (but had the interruption of Skye letting me know she needed another walk) with several minutes left for me to say it yet to you today yesterday - Happy Groundhog's Day! It is the bestest darned holiday of them all! Yes it is a holiday - in fact it is a Highly Venerated Holiday amongst we rodentia fans. The most respected of February's rodent harbingers - of the extent of the rest of winter - is Punxsutawney Pete Phil. Phil, if you were unaware, is a Groundhog. Phil predicted 6 more weeks of winter (of course he is was absolutely right).

As for me & my enjoyment of the holiday, I did little today yesterday except: listened to the news about Punxsutawney Phil's prediction for this winter; watched TV; surfed the net, went to the dog park twice (saw some friends there); bought some ammo; walked the pooch several times for short walks (no more than 3/4 of a mile each); heated up lefties for dinner & then ate dinner (and maybe had a glass of vin or three). It was all enjoyable.

 

It has been my kind of holiday. What makes it my kind you might or might not wonder. Well there is no need for advance preparation; no on the day preparation; no special meals; no relatives over except maybe for the invited best if one so desires & no need to have them either if not desired; no buying anything like dinner, supper, snacks, wines, booze, beer (except for consumption by self and maybe by the pooch); no gifts of any kind have to be given to anyone except maybe to self & pooch. There is also zero obligation to share the holiday with others or on the other hand -  yes you can share it freely. Finally there is the extremely satisfying feeling of being able to keep at least one holiday a year - this one - to yourself just for yourself (and maybe a bit for a mooching canine mixed breed too). 

 

Nice for me was it today, as usual on this my favorite holiday. I think my mutt Skye enjoyed it too while never knowing anything about the day's significance to me. Ignorance is bliss or so they say and I wonder if that's why they call it a dog's life when meaning a good life - because pooches are blissfully ignorant about most things. 

 

Anyway, what an excellent day was it for me us (me & the mongrel)! I hope it was likewise for you.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

So Here's The Plan For Buying Bullion & Ammo...

 ...as time goes by. I plan to buy gold every month after I pay my monthly bills. Not much, just what I can afford that month so either a 1/4 ounce coin or a 1/10 ounce coin will be the likely monthly purchase. I may buy silver in place of that but that probably then would be a tube of 25 coins. As for ammo, I will buy about two to four boxes per month unless funds allow for more. If I can only afford one of either bullion or ammo, I very likely will forego the ammo in favor of gold or silver depending how I feel at the moment (I have a good amount of ammo but not enough bullion).

 

If you are short on either, I recommend doing something similar to my plan. I think tougher times are coming - much tougher times than we have lived through in most of our lifetimes and those commodities may help you get through them. How I wish I had bought Rhodium and or Paladium five years ago when either was way down in price as compared to now. Just an ounce of Rhodium at $790.00 per ounce five years ago could have grossed $27,000.00 last April or thereabouts! That is an increase over 34 times its price within 5 years! I had considered buying it at the time but wimped out - shame on me. 

 

So now, at least I plan to buy at least a bit of security each month. I in no way expect either gold or silver (or for that matter brass, copper & lead) to increase anywhere near a spike like that, in fact they may decrease but either way - up or down - if a fiscal crisis comes about and we become the Venezuela of the north - I will have security to some small degree.

All the best,

Glenn B

Damn - Another Unavoidable Firearms Auction...

 ...is coming to us all via the Internet this weekend. Well, at least the allure of its Siren's song is unavoidable for me. I'd break the mast and swim rough seas to get to its shoreline. If interested, check out the Hessney Auction Company's Sportsman Auction. They are offering some nice guns and lots of ammo among other items. Many, if not most lots, already have bids placing them putting them out of my financial reach but there are some I'll still bid on. 

 

There is one on which, if it is in good condition, I will likely overbid. I want it for my collection. Hopefully few others if any will want it and try to outbid me. While it's not that I mistrust any of my readers, I am not telling you which one is that lot. Truth is, I trust you all enough to realize someone else of you would want it too.

All the best,

Glenn B

Sometimes I Feel Like Asking Questions...

...pretty much questions a lot like these.  I feel that way today.  

 

At least I get that way when a wave of nostalgia sweeps over me.

Now, if you don't like Gordon Lightfoot's voice, how about this version by the Irish Rovers: 

Not like the Irish Rovers' style, then how about this version by Gerry Guthrie: 

One more, I listened to em all just now and figured I let you do likewise. This one is by the Just Cause Bluegrass Band:

I like them all but in the order that I placed them above, Lightfoot's version is the best as I listen to them but the Irish Rovers' version is not far behind. I have to say though, even though the one at the bottom of my list is my least favorite (yet I do like it) there is a twist to that. It is at the bottom because it is sung lackluster in my opinion; yet, that music - the banjo and especially that fiddle are heavenly (that sure looks to be a fiddle that has been well played lots of times over many years). I miss the Bluegrass fiddle competitions I saw in NY state and in Hartford, CT. In Hartford, they were held in a city park when I was there for Grateful Dead concerts; they had a fiddle contest on both of the occasions of me being there for the Dead shows.

All the best,

Glenn B

Can We Cancel Neil Young Please

 In my younger days, I used to like Neil Young songs. Really I did like his music; thus I maybe should find it odd - I never put him into my station on Pandora.com. The thing is: I have never liked some things about him, such as: I consider him to be overly opinionated, often anti-USA, piece of shit from Canada who seemingly thinks his own poop smells like roses and who also believes his useless opinion should have some effect on how I and others should think when he lambastes our country, our rights or our citizens.  

 

As the saying goes, I do not know Joe Rogan from a hole in the wall (I was truly ignorant of his stance on things until just recently when this mess started up). Neil Young is trying to sway me and the rest of our country (especially the twits at Twitter) into canceling Joe Rogan's use of Spotify. Even if I had had Young's music on my Pandora station, I would have removed it by now if Young, whom I consider to be an old, withered, wannabe famous again whining loser, had been included in it.

 

Screw Neil Young and the whole group of cancel culture musicians who are removing or threatening to remove their music from Spotify (more at the source) and screw Spotify if they buckle under, which I do not think they have done - at least not yet, bless them if they don't.

All the best,

Glenn B

When I was Young - I Had A Major Crush On Debbie...

 ..Harry. I saw her perform twice as the lead singer of Blondie, maybe three times but times were pretty fuzzy back then as it especially is fuzzy trying to recall them now. Anyway, I'm 99% certain I saw them perform twice at Belmont Racetrack in Nassau County, NY. What a babe and I must say she looks pretty good nowadays considering she was born in 1945 or at least she did in a 2019 video of an interview of her. 

 

The video below shows how she looked back in the day.

 

 

 

I look at the music video above and I remember why I fell head over heels for her. She was, I think, one of the most beautiful women on the earth at that time. Funny thing is, a girl I used to hang out with, while not looking too much like her, always reminded me of her. Her name was Linda T. Another one on whom I had a crush but who also was a good friend. Sadly, I lost touch with her but at least I can watch Debbie Harry videos to remind me of her - worked both ways, each one made me think of the other.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Biden - Racist If He Does & Racist If He Doesn't...

 ...but no matter what he does - he is and has been one of the worst racists to ever hold high political office, maybe worse than was Obama.

 

The so called squad is demanding he pick a black woman as the next Supreme Court Justice now that Breyer is retiring (or has already). That's not too racist is it, at least not racist for leftists since it suits their agenda of obliterating cancelling the white man race. More at the source.

All the best,

Glenn B

My First Day Back In The Stock Market...

 ...was today, after over a year of not investing. My account took a small plunge to the tune of $2999.90 today, that being the purchase price of the stocks I bought. As for the day, it turned out I lost $8.13 cents after making my investments. Oh well, there is always tomorrow to make my killing!

 

I also own a small amount of silver & gold. I think I will be buying more gold after this coming weekend depending if I can sell somethings that I plan to try to offload. I would be happy if I can sell the few items I plan to put up for sale even if I only break even on them. Then, I'll use the money on a bit of bullion. 

 

I figure I need to be ready if:

 

 1. We go to war with Russia

 2. We go to war with China

 3. We screw ourselves so badly we wind up like Venezuela recently (and probably currently) or like Germany right before WWII.

Maybe I am an optimist, I figure it will be #3 but who knows. All I know right now is that the near future looks as if it could get dismal quickly no matter how much I hope otherwise. So am just trying to be prepared for the worst; yet, I hope to be happily surprised and wake up to find we are over The Lost Horizon and in Shangri-la. I'm just not betting on it!

All the best,

Glenn B

I Wonder What Odds The Bookies Are Offering In Las Vegas...

 ...as to whether or not Russia invades the Ukraine and if so whether the USA gets involved on the ground! Me thinks Putin is testing us and the rest of the world (like it essentially says here but he is unpredictable with accuracy & reliability). Meanwhile we are led by leaders much akin to those in the below video (the second one). I mean look at the sleaze bag we have in the White House (by whom I mean Biden not Harris, although...) and believe me Putin and Xi both are checking him out. 

 If Putin decides to invade the Ukraine, my money is on Biden folding like a wet noodle that babbles to itself about how great it is while peeing his pants. Of course, that is me being optimistic; Biden could prove me wrong and launch WWIII because he is a frigging pussy who might be unable to figure any other way out of such a mess and who is too afraid of making himself look weak and thus he may go tough. 

Not for me to say one way of the other but I lived through the first Cold War and believe me plenty of people thought it was going to go hot. Living through that one is probably why I have a few months of supplies and lots of ammo. 

Seriously, I am concerned because if we go to war with Russia, I see China going after the winner after the winner's resources have been depleted by the war. Of course, we may all just go nuke at once and that would be that. Nice knowing you if that becomes the case in which event I'll be singing you this song as the skies light and then as the lights go out if we live that long:

 

 

Just in case you do not know why I used that song - here is a hint - and this I suppose is mostly for younger folks who've never seen 'Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb':

 

All the best,

Glenn B

 

PS: I was just saddened to read that Vera Lynn passed away in June 2020. If I heard about it back then, then I have forgotten that I knew about it; so, it comes as new news to me today. I must say, she had a magical voice and she sang We'll Meet Again as lovely as it could be sung. My bet is that when she first sang it, she never dreamed it would wind up as the closing song in a movie about the end of us all. Let us just hope - that what was portrayed in this film nor what was seen in another movie from the same year 1964, that one being Fail Safe - never comes about!

 

Of course, there is always hope some of us might survive at least in some folks' minds:

 

 

On a final note and let me say this and say it with absolute certainty: Gen. 'Buck' Turgidson was George C. Scott's finest role, yes even better than was his role as Patton - much better! Then again, this movie had some of the finest acting done by at least a few others such as Peter Sellers, Sterling Hayden (who certainly was at his peak in this one) and Slim Pickens!

 

Of Course, The NPR Reporter Wants Us To Believe...

 ...everyone else, other than him, are the liars relative to a story he broke about alleged bickering over a reported Supreme Court Covid mask mandate between Supreme Court Justices Gorsuch & Sotomayor. The thing is both of the justices have said the report is wrong and there was no such quarrel between them about anyone wearing or not wearing a mask on the bench nor did Sotomayor request Gorsuch to wear a mask because she was allegedly uncomfortable next to maskless people. Furthermore, Sotomayor did not then work from home because Gorsuch reportedly had refused to wear a mask.

 

 As I said, both justices have denied this happened:

 

"Supreme Court justices Neil Gorsuch and Sonia Sotomayor issued a joint statement Wednesday disputing a recent NPR report as "false" after the liberal media organization claimed the conservative justice refused to wear a mask on the bench despite requests to do so." (Source.)

 

Yet, the NPR reporter who authored the original piece now supposedly is angered and has reportedly at least implied both Gorsuch & Sotomayor as liarsin that regard.

 

"An NPR reporter appeared to call Supreme Court justices Neil Gorsuch and Sonia Sotomayor liars on Wednesday after they issued a joint statement disputing a recent NPR report as "false." (Source.)

 

My bet is it was a way for NPR to attempt to divert attention from the fact that Sotomayor reportedly recently lied, or at least grossly exaggerated, saying essentially that the U.S. had 100K young children "...in serious, condition, many on ventilators" due to Covid (source). She said that during the Supreme Court hearing relative to Biden's failed mask mandate on  some U.S. employers. While it seems par for the course for the majority of the media, the democrats/liberals/leftists and many republicans & conservatives to lie relative to Covid-19 (about preventing it, treating it, curing it, and the numbers of folks infected & dead from it) it truly is almost unbelievable she would tell such a lie in one of the most venerated halls of justice in the world. If a Supreme Court Justice could be expelled then lying during a session of that court should require mandatory immediate expulsion for any or all of them who so violate the spirit of that court.

All the best,

Glenn B

Beretta 92FS Compact L M

    The Beretta 92FS Compact L M is a rather unique pistol among Beretta's 92 series guns. At first glance it looks much like all, or at least most, of the other pistols in that lineup. Of course, it is a compact model so, it is smaller than the full size models but there is something much more different about it that makes it (in both black and stainless steel versions) stand out from the crowd. 

 

 

    Not one to dance around the maypole on such a subject let me get right to it and reveal it is a single stack magazine version of the normal double stack magazine pistols in that series. Until I bought one in February 2021 at an auction last year (as of this writing), I did not even know they existed. In fact, when I first received it, I was at first very surprised it was a single stack and then became rather upset that the auctioneer made no mention of that fact in the description. I became even more upset, I suppose irate, when I realized what it would cost to purchase an additional magazine for it since it only came with one (they are expensive) The only OEM (original equipment manufacturer) magazine I could find was going for $75.00 on Ebay and yes I bought it. In fact I just purchased another tonight, used, from Ebay @ $95.00, plus shipping and or tax it came to about $102.00. They are not easy to find and expensive once tracked down. As someone on one of those reality picker or pawn shop shows once said: "The time to buy it is when you see it". I would change that to "...when you first see it"! If you take your eyes off the treasured item even for a moment, someone else may snatch it up and you may never see it again. I missed several purchase opportunities in the past before I ever heard that saying but it really makes sense so nowadays I try to go by it (or go buy it) whenever I can for something I really need or want but is hard to come by. I miss/lose nowhere nearly as many purchase opportunities since I have heard that adage & follow it.

 

    Other than the costs of extra magazines though, I am quite pleased with the Beretta 92FS L M Compact. Note, it only is stamped 92FS L on the slide but the box says 92FS L M and the serial number on the box is the same as on the gun. I know there is also a 92FS L that comes with a double stack magazine; so, I am surmising that the M designation on my pistol's box indicates the pistol is a single stack version. I digress...

 

    As I was saying, I am quite pleased with this Beretta. It looks like new, shoots seemingly better than I aim (only shot it at paper at 3 yards but the single & rather small hole impressed me). It functioned flawlessly too as did both mags I have for it right now. Its size is much more concealable than the longer & thicker 92FS full size pistol. It fits in the hand better because the grip and pistol grip area of the frame are thinner than on the full size. While the mag is only single stack, it holds 8 rounds plus one in the chamber makes 9 altogether - not great but not too bad at all. Everything else was fairly the same as on the full size 92FS and all of the controls were the same. So, not only do I like the controls, I am quite familiar with them in that I already concurrently owned three other 92 series pistols when I bought this one. I love it.

 

    Once I have the newly purchased extra OEM mag from the Ebay seller, I will stop buying OEM mags and maybe buy some aftermarket ones. I saw them on Ebay for about $60 each. I like to have lots of spare magazines for my possible carry pistols. I also like to shoot them enough to be quite competent with them. This one will be no exception to the others in that regard as I believe I will shoot it as well further out and at least quite proficiently at 25 yards. Did I already say: I love it!

 

All the best,

Glenn B